


Roses for a Wallflower

by tarot_card



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Also: never bet against Natasha, Alternate Universe, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Don't copy to another site, Dum-E and U Make a Friend, Flower Language, Fluff, Followed by Exasperated Bucky, It's Bucky, Let's be honest, M/M, and Nat, and Steve - Freeform, but they're cute regardless, probably most of the rest of them, she knows things, they're all exasperated by these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 06:17:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19056919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarot_card/pseuds/tarot_card
Summary: From the prompt:Bucky keeps finding flowers: in his favorite books, on his spot on the couch, in his breakfast cereal box, you name it. When he looks up what the names are, he also finds their meanings, ranging from forgiveness to friendship to even romantic feelings.





	Roses for a Wallflower

**Author's Note:**

  * For [burbear](https://archiveofourown.org/users/burbear/gifts).



> For burbear;
> 
> Hope you enjoy this! I had a great time writing it! It just hooked me and wouldn't let go!
> 
> A _huge_ thanks goes out to thecitylightshow, arabesqueangel, and JanecShannon for their help and their beta. Any further mistakes are my own.
> 
> At the bottom is a long list of all of the flowers used in this fic and their meanings, in case you're wondering.

The first time Bucky met Tony, it was as he left the elevator with Steve and Nat in front of him, as though they were trying to keep the billionaire from seeing him. Which, given how… small he was, wasn't hard to do. Wearing a perfectly fitted suit and genuinely rose-tinted glasses, Tony didn't let them stop him from talking to him, shooting him a smirk and calling him a raccoon, letting him know he was 'bunking next to Steve' and to let Jarvis – which was the single most stereotypical butler name ever, right next to Alfred – know if he needed anything.

 

Then he just… turned and walked away, without even looking back. Bucky couldn't help feeling a little… disappointed.

 

Except for the view, because as the saying went, he hated for the man to go, but he certainly didn't mind watching him leave.

 

He didn't see Tony for a couple weeks after that, during which he found out there wasn't a butler named Jarvis, there was an A.I. named J.A.R.V.I.S, and that 'bunking next to Steve' meant he got to move onto Steve's  _ floor _ . Because apparently Tony hadn't finished  _ designing his _ .

 

Billionaire. Right.

 

The second time he saw Tony was a complete 180 from the first; the man was grease-smeared, wearing a worn band t-shirt and ripped jeans, hair in every which direction and drinking coffee like it was his only life-line. It was four in the morning and the man clearly hadn't slept yet, and given the way he was mainlining the coffee, it didn't seem like he was on his way there.

 

Bucky intentionally scuffed his foot on the ground, not wanting to surprise Tony by being his normal, silent, stalker-y self, as he walked up, raising an eyebrow at the genius.

 

“What's so important you're giving up sleep for, doll?” Bucky's own insomnia was thickening his Brooklyn in a way he didn't usually let it get to, but he forgot about it quickly at the sleepy blinking look that Tony gave him in response, like he honestly didn't realize what was going on.

 

“J.A.R.V.I.S., how long has Tony been awake for?”

 

“Coming up on 32 hours, Sergeant.” He could have sworn he heard a mutter of 'traitor' from the man, making him grin even as the A.I. let out a put-upon sigh – the realism in the A.I. was astounding. It was followed by a request, “If you could encourage him towards a horizontal surface, he will likely fall asleep shortly.”

 

“Hey! J, what are you doing?!”

 

Bucky chuckled and grinned, reaching out to take the coffee mug away from Tony, getting the single cutest pout he'd seen in his entirely too long life for it. With a hand on Tony’s shoulder, he managed to herd Tony toward the couch, pushing him gently to sit him down on it. Keeping his hand on Tony’s shoulder, to keep him still, he looked at the nearest camera in the wall -  _ not _ the ceiling, god damnit Steve. 

 

“J, put on something dull, hm?” There was a soft protest, even as he grabbed a blanket to lay over Tony, whose eyes were already starting to droop.

 

It took less than ten minutes for Tony to slump over and fall asleep on his shoulder, snuffling and nuzzling in toward his neck. Bucky couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face, or wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him in close, letting the man rest against his chest and closing his eyes as well, falling asleep not long after.

 

* * *

 

Bucky woke up and stared around, groggy at first before surprise hit. Not only did he sleep - well, in fact - but he didn’t wake up when Tony left. The smallest smile settled on his lips as he picked at the blanket that covered him, then got up and stretched with a groan. A glance at the clock showed it was only six in the morning, which he was glad for. He could still join Stevie for a run; he was about due in the next half hour. 

 

He glanced at TV on the wall and watched it briefly; it was a screen-saver, cycling images of flowers. Small little flowers on long stems, yellow roses, a couple of pretty white flowers, whose names he had no idea of, and a couple pictures of what he thought were chrysanthemums. Once they cycled through twice, the TV turned off, making Bucky blink before he looked again at the clock and figured he should grab something light to eat before his run. 

 

He smiled when he walked into the kitchen at the same time as Steve, wishing him a good morning, even as his thoughts turned to the resident genius. 

 

He was surprised at the level of trust Tony had in him; Steve and he had discussed Tony and he knew that the subject of Tony’s parents had come up between the two of them. It made his acceptance of Bucky confusing at best, since Bucky had hardly done anything to earn it, and he resolved to apologize the next time he saw the man. 

 

* * *

 

Of course, the next time he saw Tony was… both similar to and opposite of the last time. Grease-covered, worn and casual clothes, but he seemed almost… manic. And from the looks of the rest of the Avengers - amused, tolerant, fond - this was anything but out of the ordinary.

 

It left Bucky grinning even as he was given nicknames like Frosty and Snowflake, all with affection. He decided to hold off on the apologies; both because he didn’t want to ruin the man’s mood, and because he was simply breezing through the kitchen for a carafe - an  _ entire carafe _ \- of coffee to bring with him to the workshop.

 

He couldn’t help his chuckle when, as Tony stepped through the elevator doors, he heard him call out, “Back to sciencing, J!”

 

However, later in the day - just after lunch time - Tony came up again looking a little more evened out; as though he’d worn much of his energy out without leaving himself in the zombified state he was in previously. 

 

He was mellow, seemed relaxed, and the two of them were alone. It was the ideal time to talk to him, no matter how much he didn’t want to ruin this happy medium they were in at the moment.

 

“Hey, uh, Stark? You got a sec?” His voice was rough, he couldn’t help it, his nerves making it harder to speak. While there was no actual ‘Winter Soldier’ to fall back on - no matter what some people said about coping mechanisms - any anxiety did have a way of making him revert back to learned behaviour. Or so his shrink said.

 

“Hm? Yeah, what’s up, Snowdrop?” Tony distractedly made himself another cup of coffee until he looked up, a frown showing on his face - probably from how nervous Bucky was acting. “Seems serious, what’s going on?”

 

“I just… I wanted… ” He huffed out a breath, irritated that he was having such a hard time getting this out, “I’m sorry.”

 

“Sorry? For what?” The frown deepened, making Bucky sigh, exasperated.

 

“For… for your parents. I… Steve keeps remindin’ me, Steve an’ the doctor an’ everyone, it wasn’t me, but it  _ was _ . It was my hands. An’ I’m the one rememberin’ it. An’ I’m sorry.”

 

Tony’s expression softened and a sad smile formed on his lips. 

 

“I forgave you before you moved in here, Snowdrop. I mean… after knowing what Hydra did to you, knowing you never wanted to hurt them… There really wasn’t anything to forgive.” When Bucky opened his mouth to protest -  _ he still did it! _ \- Tony shook his head and continued before Bucky could, “But - despite the fact that I don’t think there’s anything to forgive, thank you for the apology. And… of course, you’re forgiven.” 

 

There was still a small smile on Tony’s face, though it was a little melancholy. But… it was more like a long-past grief, not anger, not… fresh. Bucky… believed him. Tony wasn’t one to hide his feelings - not like this. He hid in the media, he hid behind wide grins that screamed ‘fuck you’. He didn’t hide behind soft smiles and sad eyes; this was genuine. Tony forgave him. Tony… didn’t even think he had to.

 

Bucky could feel the weight lifting off his shoulders at that forgiveness. It was immense. He could almost feel tears prick at his eyes with how grateful he was, but refused to let them show. He simply cleared his throat and smiled, though even he could tell it was a bit shaky.

 

“Thank you… ” He cleared his throat again, trying to smooth away the roughness of his voice, “Means a lot.” He started fidgeting, having officially reached the end of his rope as far as talking about this went, and scratched the back of his head as he backed away toward the elevator. 

 

“I’m… I’m gonna… ” 

 

Tony chuckled and nodded, waving him off, “Don’t sweat it, Winter Wallflower, I get it. I think I’ve about maxed out on the whole… emotions thing myself.” Bucky fought back a blush at the wink he was sent, and quickly hurried away with a smile lingering on his face, not quite as shaky as it was a minute ago.

 

* * *

 

The Avengers were out at a park, laughing and joking, and Bucky couldn’t help smiling as he watched them all. They were in a closed-off part of the park that Tony had booked ages ago, and Bucky was enjoying a quiet minute under the trees watching everyone else make what… looked like flower crowns?

 

He couldn’t help laughing when he saw Steve place his own on his hair, made of magnolias and daisies, shaking his head at the sight of his big beefy friend - so different from the Stevie in his memories - with this dainty little crown.

 

He watched as Tony got up with a grin, rather obviously holding something behind his back as he walked up. A flower crown most likely, given what they all were doing, and from the grin he was getting from the genius he figured he was going to put it right-

 

Yup, sure enough, Tony walked over and put a crown right on Bucky’s head with a grin, eyes bright with mischief and happiness. 

 

“There you are, Wallflower! Looks so lonely over here, don’t want you to think we’re ignoring you!”

 

“It’s quieter over here… an’ I don’t know how to make those anyways.” Bucky pulled the crown off his head to look at for a moment, admiring the flowers - some of which he couldn’t name, their petals delicate and dainty, a mix of whites and purples, all of which were quite nice - before willingly putting it back on his head. The look on Tony’s face when he accepted it, when he put it on his head himself, made any thoughts of how silly he might have looked vanish instantly. 

 

“Well you’re never going to learn over here! Come on!” Tony took his metal hand and started tugging. Bucky at first, to make a point, just sat there with his hand not even moving and a small smirk on his face, before he let out an over-dramatic sigh and got up to join them. 

 

Yeah, sure, why not. Not like sitting there doing nothing was a better use of his time than flower crowns. 

 

And, maybe he could make one for Tony, too. Tony could hardly be the only one without. 

 

* * *

 

A week had passed and Bucky’s flower crown currently sat, flowers having dried out surprisingly well, on the coffee table on Steve’s floor. He’d been assured that his floor was currently under construction, but he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that. What did he need a whole floor for? Who really needs an entire  _ floor _ to live on?

 

As he did damn near daily at this point, he simply shook his head at it; Tony would not be dissuaded from his goal of over-indulging all of them on anything they could possibly want. Hell, when he had first mentioned he used to enjoy baking, Steve’s and the common room’s kitchens suddenly were delivered all kinds of high-end bakeware. 

 

A smile flitted across Bucky’s lips as he thought about that; his insomnia had led to a number of conversations with Tony late at night, when there was no one else around to talk to and Tony was coming down off a ‘science binge’. He found himself really enjoying spending time with the mad genius, the way his mind could go between topics so quickly was impressive, but more so for the fact that he would remember every damn thing they discussed. Except for dates, apparently Tony couldn’t remember a birthday to save his life, something that amused the both of them greatly when they spoke of it.

 

They’d grown… close the last while, and Bucky had even started to bring Tony food in the lab from time to time, whenever he realized that it was getting too late and Tony hadn’t yet come up for air or food; those nights, he wouldn’t come up for anything except coffee, and Bucky was determined to keep the man from  _ actually _ living off of the drink alone.

 

He… liked Tony. A lot. He was funny, kind, considerate… He would let Bucky sit there quietly when he didn’t want to talk, or ramble at him when he needed to get all the words out at once. They shared conversations often, serious and light-hearted, and it was freeing to talk to someone that… understood some things. 

 

Steve… he had the serum, but he’d  _ volunteered _ . He’d fought to get there. Bucky, and Tony… Both of them understood waking up to a body so drastically different to the one you had before. Both of them understood capture, torture.

 

And Tony would be the first to say that there was no comparison but, truthfully, it was the fact that Tony at least  _ understood _ that made all the difference in the world to him. 

 

It was refreshing. 

 

Bucky sat down on the couch, leaning back into the cushions, smiling to himself as he reached for his book. He opened it to his bookmark and… paused.

 

There, pressed between the pages, was a small white flower, delicately placed so the petals lay flat perfectly, even the stamen laid out evenly. He frowned briefly, confused, before looking up at one of the cameras, “Hey, J.A.R.V.I.S, what kind of flower is this?”

 

“I do believe it is a pear blossom, Sergeant.”

 

“… and who left it here for me?”

 

“I was asked not to tell, Sergeant.” Bucky had to give credit where it was due; he could hear the amusement in the A.I.’s voice, which was impressive all things considered. “Is it a problem? I can ensure, in the future, that you are made aware of anything left behind for you.”

 

Bucky considered it; he didn’t like surprises generally, but this was… This was sweet, it was thoughtful, and really… He trusted everyone here. It wasn’t like J.A.R.V.I.S. would allow someone into the building - nevermind onto one of their floors - that was going to be a concern.

 

“Nah, it’s fine J. Thanks, though.”

 

He smiled and carefully set the flower aside before continuing on with his book, settling in on the couch with a warm feeling in his chest. Really, such a small thing, but it was so thoughtful. He couldn’t remember the last time he got a gift, never mind something for no particular reason.

 

* * *

 

Bucky was grinning and laughing with Steve as they left the elevator on their floor after their run; he didn’t join Steve every day, but usually at least a couple times a week they ran together for an hour or so in the morning. They stepped into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water each before splitting up, each going separate ways from the kitchen to their rooms on opposite sides of the floor they currently shared. 

 

He wasn’t paying any particular attention as he walked, until he felt his foot nudge something as he reached for the handle of his door, making him pause and glance down at the floor. There a single potted sunflower sat. A small one perfect for indoors, but a sunflower nonetheless.

 

He picked it up and took a close look, but there was no indication of the giver, and he looked up at the camera at the end of the hall, “Another secret gift, J?” He wasn’t even trying to hide the smile from his lips as he said it, another surge of warmth in his chest emerging at the thought that someone actually went out and got him a little sunflower to keep in his room. A little spot of brightness for himself.

 

“Indeed, Sergeant Barnes. You did indicate that you didn’t mind receiving surprise gifts. I assume that hasn’t changed?”

 

He shook his head as he thought about who it could be from. The obvious answer and obvious dismissal was Steve; unless someone brought it up for him, it couldn’t be, since they’d been out running together. 

 

Tony was also ruled out, since the man had been on a ‘science binge’ again and hadn’t been seen - aside from Bucky bringing him food - in a day and a half. He also had a habit of overdoing things when he gave gifts; simple flowers didn’t seem quite his style.

 

Bruce was thoughtful like that, and he hated discussing his feelings overly much, but he didn’t know if the man would do flowers… He seemed more like the type to gift a nice tea or a good book; they’d shared their love of books with each other a few times in the past. 

 

It couldn’t be Thor; first, the man couldn’t be trusted to handle anything breakable, nevermind something as delicate as the last flower had been. Second, he was on Asgard had been for a few days, and even before that he’d been with Jane. 

 

Clint wouldn’t… unless it was a prank. He gave the flowers a wary look for a moment before shaking his head and moving on; flowers weren’t his style unless it was a boutonniere that would squirt someone with water. 

 

Natasha? Unlikely, but she did enjoy being unpredictable, and did hate discussing feelings… 

 

Sadly, the Black Widow seemed the most likely culprit unless it was more than one person working together.

 

He shrugged it off and walked into his room, moving to the window to pull up the blinds and put the flower in the windowsill, before moving to the bathroom to take a shower.

 

“Hey, J.A.R.V.I.S.? You can tell me how to take care of this, right? I don’t wanna kill it.”

 

He swore he could hear the warmth in the A.I.’s voice as he answered him affirmatively. 

 

* * *

 

When Bucky got the third flower, he was having too much of an awful day to worry about where it came from, and even when he thought about it after the fact, he decided that… t was just a sweet, innocent gesture. And if the person doing it didn’t want him to know, it was no big deal really. He enjoyed the flowers and would leave it at that.

 

He was thoroughly enjoying taking care of the little sunflower, it was a nice hobby - maybe he should get some more flowers or plants? It was good to keep things alive instead of killing them. - but a couple weeks after its arrival was a night plagued with nightmares. He was exhausted enough to keep falling asleep, but every time he closed his eyes his vision was plagued with all the people he’d wronged. 

 

By the end, it was Howard and Maria Stark, over and over, and by the time he woke up his cheeks were wet with tears. He stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom, washing his face with shaking hands, and then into the kitchen on Steve’s floor. He grabbed a bottle of water, too worried about dropping a glass to have anything else, and chugged it quickly before glancing at the clock.

 

Eight in the morning. His shrink was up, and he was told to call at any time… Oh, hell. He promised Stevie he’d give this shrink thing a real try, so here he was. 

 

Dr. Sanders was a great guy, former military and, while not SHIELD, had clearance and was vetted by Stark Industries with a thick non-disclosure agreement. He was the best Tony could find, or so he’d been assured by the man himself. 

 

A half hour later found him and Dr. Sanders in one of the spare rooms on another floor, away from anyone possibly over-hearing them, giving them the privacy they needed, while still leaving Bucky within his comfort zone of Avengers Tower. It was their usual middle ground for his meetings, and he was grateful that the man was willing to come to him, instead of making him leave when he was having a hard day. Honestly, he didn’t think he’d be able to do this if that were the case.

 

A half hour of stoic silence as he fought to get the words out, followed by a half hour of blurting everything in a rush, and the final half hour of Dr. Sanders talking him down, and Bucky felt a little… cleaner. A little more like Bucky. 

 

It wasn’t perfect, but every session helped, just that little bit. It was cathartic, an absolute relief, and although he always felt raw inside after, it was a good feeling. 

 

Coming back up to his and Steve’s floor, the elevator doors opened to their living/dining-room, and Bucky blinked a couple times at the small bouquet of flowers, just a few different ones, tied with a soft yellow ribbon on the table. It stopped him short for a full minute before he stepped forward, walking to them and picking them up to smell them, to admire them.

 

As with the others, there was no tag, no indication as to who left them behind, but he was as sure they were for him as he was with the others. 

 

It wasn’t so consistent as to be expected, but there was clearly a pattern. 

 

A minute passed as he admired them and thought on where to put them before he heard the tell-tale  _ ding _ of the elevator and turned around to watch Steve leave it with another man - tall, black, fit, looked to be former or serving military perhaps? - laughing and joking. 

 

“Oh, hey Bucky! This is Sam, I met him at the V.A. the other day. Sam, this is Bucky, my best friend.” Steve was grinning wide, while the other man had a smile on his face and stepped forward, holding out a hand. 

 

“Nice to meet you, Steve’s told me a lot about you.” He could see Sam glance at his flowers, and he pulled them a little closer with his metal arm, reaching with his right hand to shake Sam’s hand, squeezing it maybe just a little more than he should.

 

“What’ve you got there, Buck? Flowers?” Steve’s eyes lit up with excitement, “Are you sweet on someone? Who is it?”

 

“No, these are mine.” He shot a glare at Steve, then another at Sam just to be safe, and hurried to his room.

 

He cursed softly when he got there and looked around for something to put the flowers in until he found a glass that he quickly went to the washroom and cleaned out to use. He’d have to get them a vase sometime later.

 

It wasn’t until later in the day that he thought to ask what flowers they were, smiling and touching each one as J.A.R.V.I.S. told them to him one by one. 

 

Apple blossoms, azaleas, bells of Ireland, and a single bachelor button. 

 

* * *

 

It continued like that, every now and then, with no real pattern he could find to it, he’d discover flowers - sometimes in front of his door, sometimes with his things, he even woke up to find pink camellias on his chest one morning after falling asleep during movie night. 

 

He still had no idea who was doing it, but he was loving it, and not even remotely guilty about it. He even started keeping the flowers when they died, either pressing them between books or hanging them upside down to dry in a bouquet. 

 

He didn’t feel guilty about the enjoyment of it, but he was starting to feel a little guilty about the person sending them. He had no idea why the person was sending them at this point, but given his own feelings on the matter he hoped it was nothing more than… friendship. 

 

His days frequently found him in the workshop with Tony, and his feelings there were… definitely more than friendship. Definitely stronger than that at this point, by a long shot. He just wished he knew if they were returned. 

 

Sure, Tony flirted with him - but he’d seen Tony flirt with Natasha and Clint; hell, Tony even flirted with the engine he replaced when he and Bucky were working on one of his cars. The flirting, truthfully, gave him no indication whatsoever as to Tony’s feelings. 

 

That being said, sometimes… Sometimes there were soft looks, and touches. Nothing concrete, but it was enough to give him hope. He just needed a way to find out if it was in his head, or if it was real. If Tony could really care for him like that. 

 

Today was a day just for him and Tony. They were working on a new arm for DUM-E - the bot had damaged his arm, so Tony was putting a new one on today and asked Bucky if he could be his muscle for it.

 

He pointedly ignored the snicker as he left their floor with, admittedly, a bounce to his step. There was only so much he could lie to himself, and his happiness at being asked to help repair one of the bots - Tony’s  _ children _ in every way that mattered - pushed him past that. He was so touched by the amount of trust Tony had in him and he honestly was giddy with it. He couldn’t even find it in himself to glare at Steve, who knew at this point  _ exactly _ what was up with him and his feelings for their resident genius.

 

Speaking of, he tried to calm his expression down a little as the elevator doors opened to the lab floor, but couldn’t help the grin he shot Tony, DUM-E and U, laughing a little at DUM-E trying to move his badly bent arm. 

 

He’d decided the moment he heard about it, and the exasperation in Tony’s voice, that he didn’t even  _ want _ to know how the clumsiest bot damaged himself this time. He was pretty sure the metal of his arm was heavily reinforced, but he’d still managed to bend it probably about 60 degrees. 

 

Nope, he didn’t want to know.

 

Besides, his focus was on Tony; the pint-sized genius was currently lecturing his bots - in the fondest tone Bucky had ever heard out of him - as he bent over his workstation and the new arm for DUM-E. It took… more effort than he’d admit to, to get his eyes to move above Tony’s waist; the view was magnificent.

 

Once his eyes moved up, however, he noticed Tony etching something into the new arm. It looked detailed, whatever it was, and he couldn’t help stepping forward with a curious frown on his face.

 

“Hey, doll, watcha doin’ there? I thought the arm was done?” He blinked in surprise and chuckled as Tony, for lack of a better word,  _ screeched _ , jumping and throwing a wrench in his approximate direction. 

 

It missed, badly.

 

“J! Why didn’t you tell me Snowdrop was here?! Rude much?” He looked a little flushed and flustered, and Bucky grinned as he stepped forward.

 

“My apologies, Sir, I must have forgotten to mention it.” He didn’t sound remotely sorry, and Bucky couldn’t help laughing quietly.

 

“Didn’t mean to startle ya, darlin’, but really, watcha working on there?”

 

Stepping up to the workstation, he saw that Tony had been very carefully, very painstakingly, etching in… flowers. None that he could clearly recognize - honestly, most of the time he could only tell flowers by their colour and vague shape, this being just etchings on metal was… harder. They were beautifully done, though, it looked like he could almost give Steve a run for his money.

 

“Flowers? Why flowers?” There was the slightest bit of hope blossoming - ha - in his chest at it. Maybe Tony was the one gifting him the flowers? Maybe it meant Tony felt the same for him, as he felt for Tony?

 

“Oh, uh... Well, DUM-E saw some flowers the other day and decided he wanted some decoration on his new arm. I figured, why not? It’s kind of like a tattoo, right? It’s his body, his choice.” He smiled then, fondly, and patted the new arm before leaning down and finishing the flower he was working on. 

 

“So, uh... What are the flowers?” He tried to keep the disappointment from his chest; just because Tony didn’t say something right then didn’t mean it wasn’t be him. He could still hope, right?

 

Tony finished the flower and gestured to each cluster as he spoke, “Hyacinths, lilacs, furze - or gorse, it goes by both names - and gardenias. He… liked those ones.” There was a soft flush to his face, as if he was embarrassed by the indulgence of DUM-E’s whims, which Bucky could only find sweet and endearing.

 

Yeah, he could  _ hope _ , at least, that the ‘bot got the idea for flowers from Tony, and that maybe Tony really was the one that was sending him flowers. If not, well… maybe his gift-giver had the right idea, because the lovely flush on Tony’s cheeks was something he wanted to see more of.

 

He shook the thoughts away though and gestured to the arm, “Is it ready to go on?”

 

It took the better part of a couple hours for them to replace DUM-E’s arm; between the bot himself and the two of them just having a good time, they didn’t even notice time passing. It wasn’t until J.A.R.V.I.S. mentioned that it was lunch-time that they actually buckled down to finish attaching the arm. 

 

For lunch they left the tower and went to a hole-in-the-wall diner that has been open as long as Bucky has been alive; he literally remembered going there when he was younger. The diner had actually passed down through the family and the current owners were the grandchildren of the original owners. It wasn’t pricey, it was very low-key, and it was nice to be able to go out somewhere with Tony where he wasn’t mobbed by paparazzi. 

 

It was followed by the two of them going and playing laser tag, of all things, which was so goofy and fun and relaxing…

 

Bucky literally couldn’t remember the last time he had this much fun, or laughed this hard. And, looking at the sparkle to Tony’s eyes, and the happy flush to his cheeks, he couldn’t help but fall just a little more for the brunet making him so happy right now.

 

It was a bit of a disappointment when they went back to the tower for dinner and to go their separate ways in the evening, though the grin and thanks he got from Tony - ‘ _ For the great time, Snowdrop’ _ \- made it a little better.

 

He fell asleep that night with the softest smile on his face, thinking about gorgeous honey brown eyes.

 

* * *

 

It was a week later that the next flower appeared outside his room for when he woke up. He and Tony had spent the previous evening watching movies until early morning when they’d fallen asleep on each other. They’d woken up when they heard people starting to congregate in the kitchen of the common floor, each breezing through the kitchen to say good morning before separating. Bucky went to bed to sleep for a few more hours, and nearly tripped over a vase at noon when he went to leave his room.

 

Looking down at it, he couldn’t help but smile softly at first, before frowning lightly. He’d finally noticed something of a pattern with the flowers; he frequently, though not always, got them after spending time with Tony. 

 

He just wasn’t sure at this point if the genius was giving them, or if this was some sort of… competition from someone else objecting to he and Tony spending time together. If it  _ was _ an objection, it was really subtle and almost… shy. He almost felt bad about it.

 

If it did turn out to be Tony, this was… kind of annoying actually. By now, he would have figured Tony would have made a move. 

 

If it did turn out to be Tony, he swore to himself he was going to throw his own flowers in his goddamn face for taking so long about it, no matter how romantic it was.

 

He shook himself from his thoughts and picked up the vase; delicate, clear, a classic design with a swirling pattern in the glass. Roses; red, orange, and an orangey-pink colour dominated the bouquet with the typical baby’s breath to break it up

 

The contrast of the fiery tones of the roses were definitely striking. Gently, he brushed the fingers of his metal hand over the petals as he brought it into his room.

 

Bucky placed it on the windowsill next to the sunflower that J.A.R.V.I.S. was helping him keep alive, staring at it for a moment longer before just smiling and stepping out of his room.

 

Regardless of who it was from, he was certainly fond of having fresh flowers so often in his room. 

 

* * *

 

Bucky was starting to get a little excited; Tony had assured him that he was a couple days from having his own floor and had made a point of asking what Bucky might want on it. After enjoying the activity of keeping his sunflower alive, he’d asked if there was any way to accommodate his new hobby. 

 

Tony’s response had been to add a couple more sunflowers to the order of things for his room, as well as a small herb garden. Bucky could feel a pleased flush make its way onto his cheeks as he thanked Tony.

 

Unfortunately, as it would be an actual fixture on his floor, he couldn’t make use of it yet, though he’d been assured that everything he would need had been delivered and was being installed. 

 

He had just come back from a ball game with Steve and Sam, having enjoyed both the game and the chance to harass Sam. (And, at the same time, Steve. It was obvious he had a thing for the other military man and Bucky thought it was  _ hilarious _ .)

 

He stepped into his room and stopped short, frowning now. This was the first time since this had started that the person leaving him gifts had come into his room, and he didn’t know how he felt about it. He looked at the nearest camera at J.A.R.V.I.S., almost betrayed.

 

“J, why were they in my room? That’s...kinda creepy. Gotta say… ”

 

“My apologies, Sergeant, I didn’t realize it would bother you as much as it clearly has. The person in question indicated that they didn’t necessarily want to leave this out in the open.”

 

Bucky frowned at the flowers and stepped forward, picking up the bouquet gently, regardless of his words. Like the last bouquet, these were oranges and reds; he recognized chrysanthemums, red ones this time, but the others were unusual. Orange with a large centre and many small petals, smaller white flowers with orange-yellow stamen. 

 

Calendula and orange blossoms, apparently.

 

He shook off the slightly creeped out feeling - after all, this was already someone he likely lived with, an Avenger, and if he was lucky… it was the same man he was already in love with. He still wasn’t quite sure, but he was… hopeful.

 

“I know they asked you not to tell me who they are, but can you… tell me somethin’ about ‘em? Guy or gal?” He paused for a moment, playing with a calendula petal, “Do they… Do all these flowers mean what I think they mean?”

 

“I believe, Sergeant, you can find out  _ precisely _ what they mean shortly.” 

 

How in the world was Tony able to make an A.I. so life-like that he could sound  _ smug _ ? 

 

* * *

 

Bucky was damn near bouncing in the elevator on the way down; he’d just talked to Tony and his floor was ready. He could finally get settled in, and finally start his little herb garden he wanted. And the sunflowers!

 

He was so excited he could barely stand still.

 

When the doors opened to the floor, he eagerly stepped into the front entrance, moving forward into the open dining/living area, only to stop suddenly as he looked at the dining table. And the countertops. 

 

And the living room.

 

Every available surface was covered in flowers. And not just flowers, but the flowers he’d been getting for the last week or two. 

 

Calendulas, chrysanthemums, roses, blossoms - apple, peach, pear, orange - camellias… 

 

They were everywhere and his breath stopped, hope warming his chest. 

 

“J.A.R.V.I.S., what… Why’re there flowers…? Did… Was it Tony?”

 

The A.I.’s voice was warm and amused as he finally gave Bucky what he’d been hoping to hear for the last month or so, “Sir has always been very… interested in the supposed language of flowers.”

 

Just as Bucky’s fingers reached out to touch the petals of the nearest flower, the A.I. spoke up again, “Would you like their meanings, Sergeant?”

 

It didn’t take long after that for Bucky to be overwhelmed as he remembered each time he got the flowers, what they meant. What  _ Tony _ meant when he gifted them to him. 

 

It also didn’t take long before Bucky started to get annoyed at how long Tony dragged this out; if he was planning on, basically, confessing like this… Why wouldn’t he just be here and tell him? Why wouldn’t he even be here when Bucky found out?

 

“J.A.R.V.I.S., where’s Tony right now?”

 

He picked up a single red rose from the flowers and turned to march back to the elevator, eyes narrowing slightly as he asked to be taken to the supposed ‘genius’ right away.

 

* * *

 

Steve and Natasha were lounging on the couch on the common floor, watching the live security feed from Tony’s lab as the elevator moved from Bucky’s floor.

 

“I’m tellin’ you, ‘Tash, he was a real charmer. He’s got this. Fifty says he sweeps Tony off his feet like he did back in the day.”

 

Natasha let out a loud, inelegant snort. “He can’t handle feelings, not a chance. If you want to get rid of your money that badly, you can just  _ give _ it to me.”

 

“I have faith. He’s got this.”

 

“Consider it a bet, Cap’.”

 

The elevator opened up and Bucky stepped out quickly, rose in hand. The lab doors opened for him without asking and the music cut out in the lab, making Tony turn around to see who was there. A smile quickly appeared on his lips as he saw who it was.

 

“A rose! See?! I told you Buck was smo-...”

 

Both of them watched as on the screen Bucky  _ threw _ the rose at Tony, glaring at him without saying a single word. 

 

Steve silently reached into his pocket for his wallet and pulled a fifty dollar bill out for Natasha, even as they both stared at the screen.

 

Tony bent over to pick up the single red rose that had fallen to the ground, blinking a couple times before grinning wide. He closed the distance between himself and the angry former-assassin, leaning up to brush a light kiss on his lips, which quickly wiped away the scowl.

 

J.A.R.V.I.S. chose that moment to cut the feed.

 

“I knew he wouldn’t be smooth, but that was... That was bad, even for what I expected. How did that even work?” 

 

“I have… no idea.”

**Author's Note:**

> The flowers used in this fic are as follows:  
> Bucky's nicknames - Snowdrop (Rebirth, overcoming obstacles in life) and Wallflower (Fidelity in adversity).
> 
> The ones on the screen-saver Bucky saw were;  
> Sweet Peas; Good-Bye, Departure, Thank you for a lovely time, blissful pleasure  
> Yellow Roses; Joy, Friendship  
> White Camellia; You're adorable  
> Chrysanthemums; You're a wonderful friend, cheerfulness and rest
> 
> Steve's flower crown was magnolias, meaning Nobility, and daisies, meaning Innocence, Purity, Loyal love  
> Bucky's was smilax (Loveliness), white violets (Let's take a chance on happiness), lavender heather (Admiration, solitude).
> 
> The pear blossom in his book means Affection, and the dwarf sunflower is Adoration and Pride.
> 
> On Bucky's bad day, he was given apple blossoms (Better things to come and Good fortune), azaleas (Take care of yourself), temperance (Fragile), bells of Ireland (Good luck), and a bachelor button (Single blessedness, Hope).
> 
> The pink camellia he woke up with means 'Longing for you.'
> 
> On Dum-E's arm, Tony engraved gardenias (Purity, Sweet love, You're lovely), lilacs (Youthful innocence, Purity), furze (Love for all occasions), and hyacinth (Playful, Loveliness).
> 
> The vase of flowers was red roses (Love and Respect), orange roses (Fascination), coral roses (Desire), and baby's breath (Innocence, Pure of heart).
> 
> The flowers Bucky found in his room were red chrysanthemums (I love you), calendula (Considered sacred), orange blossom (Innocence, Purity, Eternal love, Marriage).
> 
> And, of course, the single red rose that Bucky threw in Tony's face means, Love, I love you, and Desire.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! <3


End file.
